– Extends membership opening
The Telecommunication and Technology Sustainability Working Group (TTSWG), an organisation that utilises the unified effort of several key telecommunications and technology establishments to call for better practices towards sustainability is delighted to announce the welcome of its new members: MTN, BACKBONE CONNECTIVITY NETWORK (BCN), HEWLETT PACKARD (HP), IHS (NIGERIA) LIMITED, MOBICURE, SUBURBAN FIBRE CO., NAJCOM TECHNOLOGIES, SMILE, MAINONE, ZINOX, ROYAL POWER AND ENERGY LIMITED (RPE), GDI INNOVATIONS and PHASE3 TELECOM.
Speaking about what potential members stand to gain, Elizabeth Odeniyi, a senior consultant at the secretariat, said, “TTSWG offers numerous benefits for members. One of which is access to networking opportunities with other industry players, regulators, and key industry decision-makers. In addition, TTSWG offers its members the opportunity to define the sustainability direction for the telecommunication and technology industries.”
One of the member organisations, MTN, has always made known its efforts to create socio-economic value. This was further attested to by Edwards Fagbohun, the Manager, Sustainability and Impact Reporting for MTN. “We are passionate about fostering sustainability in the sector and acknowledge that there is a need for the cross-fertilisation of ideas with like-minded organisations. It is fascinating to see all of the work that has been done so far in the advocacy of sustainability by the group and the projects in the pipeline,” said Edwards.
The new member organisations are key telecommunications and technology giants with invaluable industry experience and are involved in transforming the ICT sector by adopting sustainable practices. The synergy between the member organisations is formed to address various business and national issues by mobilising human and material capital available to stakeholders in the sector to ensure sustainable practices that will have a national impact. In other words, they align with TTSWG’s vision for Nigeria to be an inspiration to other developing countries in adopting sustainability best practices.
TTSWG calls for more interested organisations to join as it has stated that the impact of the group in achieving better sustainability practices in the ICT sector is proportional to the number of stakeholders that lend their voices and resources through participation. “There is a profit case for sustainability in the sector as it is now clearly obvious to IT companies that resources need to be utilised in a way that could be replenished to prevent a drought in the future. No IT company can ever lose from becoming a member of TTSWG,” said Elizabeth.
Any technology organisation that wishes to become a member of TTSWG must be legally and operationally independent, agree to have its sustainability report reviewed and benchmarked by TTSWG, and strive for consistency in its advocacy for sustainability. Other criteria are communicated during the phase of member onboarding.
